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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Gordon Faces Must-Win Weekend In New Hampshire

Jeff Gordon’s task is clear cut; win at least two of the next eight races, or be left out of the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.﻿

Gordon realizes the task at hand

﻿With that daunting task at hand, this weekend's LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ranks as the next-best thing to a “must win” race. Last year, Gordon overcame numerous obstacles in a pair of starts at the Loudon, NH, oval. In July, the three-time NHMS winner led 19 laps before electrical problems dropped him from the lead lap. He battled back and was running inside the top five before a blownright-front tire on the final lap relegated him to a disappointing 11th-place finish.

"In September, Gordon led a race-high
78 laps before issues on his final stop left him with only a partial fuel load and
forced him to race conservatively in the final laps. Despite have to nurse his
car to the finish, the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion finished fourth.

"I feel like Alan (Gustafson)
and our engineers do an excellent job on flat race tracks - especially tracks
like Loudon," said Gordon. "(New Hampshire) is high on my list of
tracks that I feel we can capitalize on."

Along with three wins and three
poles in 34 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon leads all drivers with 15 Top-5
and 19 Top-10 finishes, along with 1,304 laps led.

"I think Loudon is a great
opportunity for us," he said. "We've been very competitive here
recently, and I feel we can be competitive again this weekend, hopefully with a
shot at winning. It's a track that I really enjoy, but it's not an easy one to
get around because of the long straightaways, flat corners and hard braking. I
think the variable banking has made it a little bit easier to run side-by-side
and make passes, though."

With just eight races remaining
before the Chase field is set, Gordon knows that only wins will aid his quest
to earn a spot in the 12-driver playoff field.

"We are not afraid of trying
things with the setup or during the race," said Gordon, who is currently a
distant 17th in Sprint Cup championship points. "We're not afraid to take
some risks. Each race that goes by without a win; the more risk we are willing
to take.